FINDLAY, Ohio — The University of Findlay’s 21st annual Helping Hands Food Drive holds its official collection day on Wednesday, Nov. 4, bringing together campus and community members to fight food insecurity in Hancock County, the University of Findlay announced in its newsroom release on Oct. 28.
The university’s Watterson Center, at 301 Davis Street in Findlay, will serve as the central collection location, accepting donations from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., the university said. Volunteers will also be stationed at collection points throughout the city from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., distributing shopping lists and collecting donations from community members.
Those satellite collection points, all in Findlay, are the Kroger on 6th Street, the Kroger on Tiffin Avenue, the Walmart on Tiffin Avenue, the Walmart on Trenton Avenue, and Brinkman’s, according to the university. Shoppers at any of those stores on Nov. 4 can pick up a shopping list from a volunteer, add items as they shop, and hand their donation over on the way out.
Community members are encouraged to contribute nonperishable food items or make monetary donations, the university said. Among the most-needed items are peanut butter, canned fruit, canned soup, bottled juice and cereal — shelf-stable staples that a food pantry can turn into complete meals for families.
Every donation collected through Helping Hands benefits CHOPIN Hall, a local nonprofit that distributes food to individuals and families throughout the community, according to the university. The drive’s work does not end when the collection bins close: following Collection Day, donations will be inspected, sorted and delivered to CHOPIN Hall on Thursday, Nov. 5, with transportation provided by Garner Trucking.
An awards ceremony follows at noon on Nov. 5 in the Watterson Center, the university said, recognizing contributors and participants in the campaign’s competitions — and announcing the grand total, in pounds, of food collected. That number is the drive’s annual measure of itself, and Findlay has built a remarkable record behind it.
Founded in 2005 by the University of Findlay, the Helping Hands Food Drive has grown into a longstanding community tradition supporting hunger-relief efforts throughout Hancock County, the university said. Over the years, the initiative has collected more than 2.3 million pounds of food — a figure that demonstrates, in the university’s words, the impact of collective community action.
The collection day is the culmination of several weeks of activities designed to engage university students, employees, local schools, businesses and community members, according to the university. Among them is the “Can-struction” competition, which began Oct. 29 at the Watterson Center: student groups build sculptures entirely from canned goods, with entries judged on creativity and volume, and community members can take part through online voting on Nov. 3.
Schools get their own contest. The fifth annual Hancock Area Schools Golden Can Competition also concludes Nov. 3, the university said: area middle and high schools compete to collect the most food based on pounds per student, with awards recognizing the top-performing schools. It is the same spirit NewsForce247 readers saw this week in northwest Ohio in our Good News Ohio coverage of the Sandusky choir’s $10,000 grant for its White House Christmas trip — local institutions turning effort into something the whole community can share.
The drive arrives as food pantries across Ohio head into their busiest stretch of the year, with Thanksgiving and the December holidays weeks away. A collection built over 21 years — and measured in millions of pounds — is Findlay’s standing answer to that season, and stories like it are why NewsForce247 keeps a Good News Ohio desk: this fall’s coverage has also included Akron Children’s opening a pediatric practice inside a Cleveland Boys & Girls Club.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on: the collection hours, locations, most-needed items and the Nov. 5 delivery to CHOPIN Hall are all set, according to the university. What cannot be known until Wednesday is the total — how many pounds Findlay gives this year, and which school takes the Golden Can. That announcement comes at the Nov. 5 awards ceremony at noon in the Watterson Center.
What happens next: collection day is Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Watterson Center, 301 Davis Street, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the five store locations across Findlay. Anyone in Hancock County who wants to help can start with the university’s most-needed list — peanut butter, canned fruit, canned soup, bottled juice and cereal — and be part of a total that has already passed 2.3 million pounds.
Photo: JJonahJackalope, CC BY-SA